Combustible gas burning log assemblies have gained popularity over solid-fuel burning in recent years. As an alternative to solid-fuels, gas burning log assemblies have often been favored because they do not require laborious refueling and obviate the need for extensive clean-up efforts necessitated by, for example, the ashes formed by wood burning. Moreover, environmental concerns motivated both by private interest as well as governmental regulation have rendered the production of pollutants associated with wood burning particularly undesirable. These concerns are so great that in various parts of the country, during certain weather patterns, the burning of wood based products is generally prohibited.
To address these concerns, and provide an alternative to burning of wood logs, imitation ceramic logs have been developed. These logs have been used in, for example, fireplaces and stoves, to accompany flames generated by gas combustion. The ceramic logs are molded and decorated to resemble a natural wood log. The size, shape, and texture of natural wood logs are convincingly embodied in the ceramic logs. As accurate reproductions of wood logs, the use of ceramic logs in conjunction with gas flames has helped to provide a more realistic simulation of actual wood burning without some of its resulting drawbacks.
A variety of ceramic log assemblies have been designed. In one such design, ceramic logs are used in conjunction with an external gas burner that directs a time near the outer surface of a ceramic log without impinging on it. The combustion of gas normally results in a blue flame, readily identified as an artificial flame with little resemblance to the conventional yellow color of a natural wood burning time. In another design employing ceramic logs, a yellow flame can be achieved with suitable design of the burner taking care not to directly impinge the flame on the outer surface of the ceramic log. While certainly providing an alternative to wood fuel, such ceramic log assemblies have been only marginally effective at realistically imitating a wood burning fire. In addition, many prior designs of ceramic log assemblies suffer from the disadvantage of less than complete combustion which results in the production of undesirable soot which tends to blacken the logs and dangerous exhaust gases, such as carbon monoxide.
To address these disadvantages, other gas burning log assemblies have been produced. Such assemblies typically employed a tube for conveying gas from a source to the ceramic log assembly. As one example, attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,464 ('464 patent) by Ronald J. Shimek and Daniel C. Shimek, titled Clean Burning Gas Log Burner System. The '464 patent discloses decorative gas logs used in conjunction with a gas burner for producing times. The gas burner, mounted between or below decorative gas logs, is provided with a small, large, and auxiliary holes which must be precisely positioned in relation to one another. The decorative gas logs are supported independently from the gas burner. In one embodiment the large holes are positioned below corresponding apertures in a composite log set. An inverted U-shaped flame shield with a deflector portion prevents times from directly impinging on the decorative gas logs.
While the use of log assemblies as disclosed in the '464 patent overcome some disadvantages associated with earlier imitation log designs, they leave some disadvantages completely unaddressed and also pose new problems themselves. For example, the simulation of actual wood burning is not realistic. The position of the flame in relation to the decorative gas logs readily reveals the artificiality of the imitation assembly. Because the gas burner and the time shield, in one instance, are positioned substantially between decorative gas logs, the times produced do not appear to originate from the decorative gas logs. In addition, the position of the flames between the logs contrasts sharply with uniform flame distribution throughout the logs in the case of actual wood burning. In the one embodiment, as stated above, flames extend from the gas burner up through apertures on the composite log set, isolating the flames to discrete upper-most portions of the decorative gas logs. This flame emanation from discrete elevated portions of the decorative gas logs also fails to realistically portray actual weed burning where, in contrast, flames commonly envelop the entire surface of a log.
In addition to disadvantages involving its relatively artificial appearance, other disadvantages are also associated with the decorative gas log assembly of the '464 patent. For example, because the flames must not impinge on the decorative gas logs, the gas burner and flame shield with the decorative gas log must be cooperatively assembled and positioned in relation to one another for optimal performance. Such assembly necessitates substantial time and effort. Manufacturing costs are also unduly burdensome in providing, for example, precisely positioned holes of varying size on the gas burner and the protruding deflector of the flame shield.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the foregoing and other disadvantages. More specifically, the present invention is directed to providing a gas burning log assembly which safely and realistically simulates actual wood burning.